Ahh so simple, yet the delicate process of Quesadilla preparation could leave you with a soggy rubbery mess without proper ingredients and cooking technique. With only two major ingredients, tortilla and cheese, how could you mess that up? Well, some people can't boil water or scramble eggs.
Who doesn't like a good Quesadilla aka Kesadilla in some Mexican circles, who like to save the labor of typing one extra letter. I had a cousin that would only eat a Quesadilla when we went to our regular family Mexican Restaurant, which was a travesty given the many other possibilities. However, how can you blame him when the tortilla was perfectly crisped and the cheese was oh so gooey good.
As with any cuisine, you need the highest quality ingredients to get the best result for your final creation. Finding good tortillas and queso can be easy in Phoenix with a large Hispanic population, while this may be harder in some towns across America.
We like to go to the neighborhood carniceria where local homemade tortillas are delivered for same day sell. These have the perfect texture with little burnt bits from the comal giving a smoky flavor to the tortilla. They also are moist and crisp up perfectly. However, those that don't have a local carniceria can pickup some from Tortillaland at Costco or Wal-Mart that are pre-made, but still raw, so they maintain their freshness till you cook them up. these make amazing Quesadillas as well. You could make your own, but this becomes a project in itself and results can leave you heading out to the store anyway.
We also like to pick up our Oaxacan Cheese from the carniceria, this cheese melts perfectly to a cream texture, but not to soft that it runs off the tortilla. You can typically find this at Wal-Mart grocery stores or Costco, though this may vary in other states. Monterrey Jack is also another great choice which can be found all over. Just make sure it is a cheese made with actual dairy and not too processed with oils and who knows what else.
Once you have this covered all you need to do is turn up your griddle or a caste iron flat skillet to high heat. Target has started selling Imusa brand Comals as well, which work great. Anything flat top and very hot should do the trick. We rub our tortillas with a little bit of oil for the best crispness. Throw it on and flip it before puffs up too much. You can pop the bubbles to keep it flat. Once slightly brown throw the shredded cheese on one side of the tortilla and turn the other side to cover the cheese. You want a single consistent layer of cheese, otherwise it can turn into a gloppy mess. You can then turn it back and forth to your person preference of crispiness.
You can have all types of dips for your Quesadilla or eat it plain. I like Crema Mexicana with a little bit of Salsa Verde mixed in. If you want to really make a meal you can leave the tortilla flat, cover with cheese, add cooked carne or pollo asada and then cover with another tortilla. However, try perfecting the simple recipe before getting to technical with your Quesadilla mastery. Again, it is rather simple, but takes some practice to perfect.
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